Definitely next time, Itachi

The first day of autumn, Year 57 of Konoha, Hidden Leaf Village.

Though autumn had only just arrived, the Hidden Leaf Village still retained the scorching heat of summer. The dense clusters of leaves on the cherry blossom trees before the Ninja Academy had begun to thin, green tinged with yellow, yellow tinged with red. A few cherry leaves drifted down now and then with the wind, gradually blending into the soil and eventually becoming nourishment, allowing the trees to grow fresh green leaves the following year and bloom with beautiful cherry blossoms.

Just like the Will of Fire preached by the short ninja standing before the Ninja Academy.

On the first day of enrollment for new Ninja Academy students every year, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, would stand at the entrance and preach his Will of Fire to the children about to enroll.

It was not only for the children, but also for the parents sending them to school.

Such as Uchiha Yushu, who was standing among the crowd at that very moment.

Today was the day his younger sister, Uchiha Natsuri, enrolled.

"..."

Amid the admiring gazes of most of the children, the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, finished his speech. He did not linger and left immediately.

As Lord Hokage departed, the children found their parents and excitedly urged them to take them to register.

Yet among the crowd, a frail figure stood alone in a corner, holding a registration form. No one came within five meters of him.

"Ah, why is that brat here too?"

"That's the demon fox! Why did Lord Hokage allow him to attend the Ninja Academy?"

"What? That kind of monster is attending the Ninja Academy too? I can only pray my child won't end up in the same class as that monster."

"Damn it... Why haven't the village's ninja killed that demon fox yet? Are they waiting for him to grow up and destroy Konoha again?"

"Shh! Keep it down. Don't let the Anbu hear you. Lord Hokage must have his reasons. We just need to tell our children to stay away from him."

That figure was Naruto Uzumaki, Konoha's Nine-Tails jinchuriki. Upon seeing Naruto, many parents whispered among themselves while pulling their children close, pointing at him and murmuring things into their children's ears.

Some children had seen Naruto before and looked at him with disgust from beginning to end. Others, whose eyes had initially held curiosity, gradually began to look at Naruto with disgust after listening to their parents, as though they were looking at something revolting.

Uchiha Yushu and Uchiha Natsuri watched the scene from the other side.

"Big Brother, who's that short guy? Why does everyone hate him so much? Is he a bad person?"

Uchiha Natsuri tugged at Uchiha Yushu's sleeve with her left hand and asked curiously, while her right hand was already clenched into a fist.

As a transmigrator, Uchiha Yushu knew perfectly well why all this was happening, but he had no intention of telling his sister.

Still, he did not tell her to stay away from Naruto like those ignorant villagers did.

He merely shook his head and said, "Big Brother doesn't know either. But Natsuri, once you enter the Ninja Academy, don't run wild like you do at home and pick fights with everyone. You need to get along with your classmates, okay?"

"Got it, got it. You're already a jonin, so why are you still so naggy? I'm very popular in the clan, you know."

Uchiha Yushu smiled at that. He knew perfectly well what Natsuri meant by popular.

Uchiha Yushu's father, Uchiha Takuma, had once been a chunin. After Natsuri was born, he resigned from the Konoha Military Police Force and opened a small shop in the clan compound.

Because Uchiha Yushu's grandfather, Uchiha Xia Yan, was a clan elder, his father's shop not only had an excellent location but also did good business, earning several times what he had made in the Konoha Military Police Force.

His mother, Uchiha Meina, had no talent for ninjutsu and was merely an ordinary woman of the clan. After marrying his father, she devoted herself to the household and kept everything in perfect order.

Perhaps because of skipped-generation inheritance, both Uchiha Yushu and Uchiha Natsuri possessed outstanding ninja talent.

With her exceptional talent and her family's doting affection, Natsuri ran wild within the clan. Nearly every child her age or younger had fought with her, and even Sasuke Uchiha had once been beaten up by Natsuri during a conflict.

Over time, Natsuri earned the nickname "Witch" within the clan. Whenever there was no one to fight, she would force the clan children to play with her. Anyone who refused would face Natsuri's retaliation.

That was why every time Natsuri went out, she could gather a whole group of children to play with her. She had a great time. As for whether the other children enjoyed themselves, that was another matter.

When Natsuri dragged him all the way to the registration desk, they happened to run into Sasuke and Itachi Uchiha, who had just finished registering.

"Itachi, Sasuke. I heard you joined the Anbu, Itachi. Congratulations!"

Uchiha Yushu greeted them.

"Brother Yushu, Natsuri." ×2

"Congratulations to you as well, Brother Yushu, on becoming a squad captain in the Konoha Military Police Force."

Itachi Uchiha only gave a brief response. He did not feel much closeness toward this ninja who had been in the same generation as Brother Shisui and was just as talented.

I wonder why Brother Shisui became friends with someone whose heart only holds the clan, Itachi Uchiha thought.

Looking at Itachi's expressionless face, Uchiha Yushu understood why Itachi was so cold toward him. But when his gaze swept over Sasuke beside him, an idea struck him. He decided to tease this little brother-obsessed guy.

He turned to Sasuke with a serious expression and said, "Sasuke, as the clan head's son, there are some things you must shoulder. I have an important mission to entrust to you."

The moment Sasuke heard words like "mission" and "entrust," he immediately grew excited. He had long yearned to become a ninja.

"Please tell me, Brother Yushu!"

Unlike the excited Sasuke, Itachi, whose obsession with his younger brother was almost unhealthy, frowned slightly the instant Yushu approached Sasuke.

"Sasuke, the Uchiha are Konoha's foremost ninja clan. As the clan head's son, you must bring honor to the Uchiha clan. Your mission is to become the top student in your year at the Ninja Academy. As a reward for completing this commission, I will teach you one powerful Fire Release ninjutsu every year."

Uchiha Yushu slowly stated his demand. After hearing it, the three of them wore different expressions.

Sasuke had already wanted to take first place at the Ninja Academy just as his brother had before him. Not only did this align with his goal, but there was also a reward. He answered energetically, "No problem, Brother Yushu! Just get the Fire Release ninjutsu ready!"

Itachi Uchiha had already been somewhat displeased when he heard the Uchiha described as the foremost ninja clan. After hearing Sasuke's mission, his expression darkened further, making his already blank face look even more unpleasant.

When Natsuri heard that her brother had not only given Sasuke a mission to take first place but had also offered him a reward, she was instantly unwilling to accept it. She let go of Uchiha Yushu's sleeve.

Then she started punching and kicking Uchiha Yushu. "Big Brother, why didn't you give that mission to me? Sasuke can't even beat me!"

Sasuke's excited expression collapsed when he heard that, and unpleasant memories surfaced in his mind. But then he remembered that he had already learned the hand signs for the Great Fireball Technique and could release a fireball.

Looking at Natsuri, who clearly only knew how to use chakra to punch and kick, he thought, I'm completely different from before. If I keep bickering with a barbaric girl like Natsuri, it'll only make me look petty.

After giving Natsuri a disdainful glance, Sasuke's mood brightened again.

Natsuri's attacks did not hurt Yushu at all. After all, children did not have much chakra, and Natsuri had not learned taijutsu, so her attacks were not very strong.

Still, Uchiha Yushu put on a pained expression and hurriedly said, "Natsuri, stop! Big Brother's bones are about to break from your kicks. The reason I didn't give you the mission is because you're a girl. You just need to look pretty and make more friends. Big Brother promises that once Natsuri makes a good friend, I'll give you a reward."

Hearing that, Uchiha Natsuri stopped attacking and rubbed her fists. "It's a deal, then. I want Fire Release ninjutsu too. And what do you mean your bones are about to break? My fists hurt like crazy! Your body is ridiculously hard, Big Brother."

"No problem, no problem. As long as Natsuri makes a good friend, Big Brother will teach you."

Uchiha Yushu hurriedly agreed, secretly letting out a sigh of relief. Acting was pretty tiring.

"Natsuri, Sasuke, hurry to class. Don't be late," Uchiha Yushu said when the matter was settled.

The two of them headed toward the school building together.

After they disappeared from view, Itachi thought for a moment. Still wearing that blank expression, he took the initiative to approach Yushu and invited, "Brother Yushu, shall we take a walk together?"

Looking at the expressionless face before him, Uchiha Yushu smiled and refused outright. "No, I still have work at the Konoha Military Police Force. Next time for sure, Itachi!"

Come on, are the pretty girls in the department not attractive enough, or is the office air conditioning not comfortable enough? Why would I take a walk with your expressionless face in this scorching heat? With that, he turned and left.

At that moment, Yushu had no idea of the trouble his sister would bring him.